Situated on a hilltop at the southern tip of the state, and India, is Kerala's capital, Thiruvananthapuram (still commonly known as Trivandrum). For most visitors the capital is simply a transit point on their way to Kovalam, the popular beach resort a few miles to the south. However it is worth lingering for a day in this easy-going city to explore the narrow backstreets, old gabled houses and parks which break up the modern center. The most fascinating part of Trivandrum is the Fort area, around the Shri Padmanabhaswamy temple (closed to non-Hindus) and Puttan Malika palace, seat of the Travancore rajas. Some of the palace has been turned into a museum and displays a collection of heirlooms and artifacts, however the highlight is the typically understated, elegant Keralan architecture. Beneath sloping red-tiled roofs, hundreds of wooden pillars carved into the forms of rampant horses prop up the eaves, with airy verandas projecting onto the surrounding lawns. When it gets too hot at sea level, Ponmudi makes a welcome excursion. This enchanting hill station, tucked away in the Western Ghats, forty miles to the north of the capital, offers a lot to travelers with a passion for trekking or those who'd prefer a gentle wander along narrow, winding pathways, through cool green, wooded environs and among a variety of beautiful mountain flowers full of exotic butterflies. The hill resort is surrounded by tea-estates and mist-covered valleys, peppered with little stone cottages painted violet, pink and white. Another easy excursion from Trivandrum is Padmanabhapuram, the site of a magnificent palace.
